Salma Niazi
THE IMPORTANCE OF STATISTICS IN RESEARCH
EDU 821
COURSE INCHARGE Prof Dr. Farida Azeem Lodhi
of Statistics in Research
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Statistics in Research
Statistical methods are essential for scientific research. In fact,
statistical methods dominate the scientific research as they include
planning, designing, collecting data, analyzing, drawing meaningful
interpretation and reporting of research findings. Furthermore, the
results acquired from research project are meaningless raw data unless
analyzed with statistical tools. Therefore, determining statistics in
research is of utmost necessity to justify research findings.
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Statistics in Research
Statistics is a branch of science that deals with collection, organization and analysis of data
from the sample to the whole population. Moreover, it aids in designing a study more
meticulously and also give a logical reasoning in concluding the hypothesis. However,
statistics is more complex a field of study that defines and explains study patterns based on
the sample sizes used. To be precise, statistics provides a trend in the conducted study.
Therefore, giving rise to a complicated set of results which are not easily analyzed from
statistical tools in research. Statistics in research can help a researcher approach the study in
a stepwise manner, wherein the statistical analysis in research follows –
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1. Establishing a Sample Size
Usually, a experiment starts with choosing samples and selecting the
right number of repetitive experiments. Statistics in research deals with
basics in statistics that provides statistical randomness and law of using
large samples. Statistics teaches how choosing a sample size from a
random large pool of sample helps extrapolate statistical findings and
reduce experimental bias and errors.
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2. Testing of Hypothesis
When conducting a statistical study with large sample pool, researchers must
make sure that a conclusion is statistically significant. To achieve this, a
researcher must create a hypothesis before examining the distribution of data.
Furthermore, statistics in research helps interpret the data clustered near the
mean of distributed data or spread across the distribution. These trends help
analyze the sample and signify the hypothesis.
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3. Data Interpretation Through Analysis
When dealing with large data, statistics in research assist in data analysis.
This helps researchers to draw an effective conclusion from their experiment
and observations. Concluding the study manually or from visual observation
may give erroneous results; therefore, thorough statistical analysis will take
into consideration all the other statistical measures and variance in the sample
to provide a detailed interpretation of the data. Therefore, researchers produce
a detailed and important data to support the conclusion.
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Types of Statistical Research Methods That Aid in Data Analysis
Statistical analysis is the process of analyzing samples of data into patterns or trends
that help researchers anticipate situations and make appropriate research
conclusions. Based on the type of data, statistical analyses are of the following type:
1. Descriptive Analysis
The descriptive statistical analysis allows organizing and summarizing the large data
into graphs and tables. Descriptive analysis involves various processes such as
tabulation, measure of central tendency, measure of dispersion or variance,
skewness measurements etc.
2. Inferential Analysis
The inferential statistical analysis allows to extrapolate the data acquired from a
small sample size
to the complete population. This analysis helps draw conclusions and make
decisions about the whole population on the basis of sample data. It is a highly
recommended statistical method for research projects that work with smaller sample
size and meaning to extrapolate conclusion for large population.
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3. Predictive Analysis
Predictive analysis is used to make a prediction of future events. This analysis is approached by marketing
companies, insurance organizations, online service providers, data-driven marketing, and financial corporations.
4. Prescriptive Analysis
Prescriptive analysis examines data to find out what can be done next. It is widely used in business analysis for
finding out the best possible outcome for a situation. It is nearly related to descriptive and predictive analysis.
However, prescriptive analysis deals with giving appropriate suggestions among the available preferences.
5. Exploratory Data Analysis
EDA is generally the first step of the data analysis process that is conducted before performing any other
statistical analysis technique. It completely focuses on analyzing patterns in the data to recognize potential
relationships. EDA is used to discover unknown associations within data, inspect missing data from collected
data and obtain maximum insights.
6. Causal Analysis
Causal analysis assists in understanding and determining the reasons behind “why” things happen in a certain
way, as they appear. This analysis helps identify root cause of failures or simply find the basic reason why
something could happen. For example, causal analysis is used to understand what will happen to the provided
variable if another variable changes.
7. Mechanistic Analysis
This is a least common type of statistical analysis. The mechanistic analysis is used in the process of big data
analytics and statistical science. It uses the concept of understanding individual changes in variables that cause
changes in other variables correspondingly while excluding external influences.
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Important Statistical Tools In Research
Researchers in the statistical field find statistical analysis in research as the scariest aspect
of completing research. However, statistical tools in research can help researchers
understand what to do with data and how to interpret the results, making this process as
easy as possible.
1. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS)
It is a widely used software package for human behavior research. SPSS can compile
descriptive statistics, as well as graphical depictions of result. Moreover, it includes the
option to create scripts that automate analysis or carry out more advanced statistical
processing.
2. R Foundation for Statistical Computing
This software package is used among human behavior research and other fields. R is a
powerful tool and has a steep learning curve. However, it requires a certain level of coding.
Furthermore, it comes with an active community that is engaged in building and enhancing
the software and the associated plugins.
3. MATLAB (The Mathworks)
It is an analytical platform and a programming language. Researchers and engineers use this
software and create their own code and help answer their research question. While MatLab
can be a difficult tool to use for novices, it offers flexibility in terms of what the researcher
needs.
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4. Microsoft Excel
Not the best solution for statistical analysis in research, but MS Excel offers wide
variety of tools for data visualization and simple statistics. It is easy to generate
summary and customizable graphs and figures. MS Excel is the most accessible
option for those wanting to start with statistics.
5. Statistical Analysis Software (SAS)
It is a statistical platform used in business, healthcare, and human behavior
research alike. It can carry out advanced analyzes and produce publication-worthy
figures, tables and charts.
6. GraphPad Prism
It is a premium software that is primarily used among statistical researchers. But, it
offers a range of variety to be used in various other fields. Similar to SPSS,
GraphPad gives scripting option to automate analyses to carry out complex
statistical calculations.
7. Minitab
This software offers basic as well as advanced statistical tools for data analysis.
However, similar to GraphPad and SPSS, minitab needs command over coding and
can offer automated analyses.
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Use of Statistical Tools In Research and Data Analysis
Statistical tools manage the large data. Many statistical studies use large
data to analyze the trends and patterns in studies. Therefore, using
statistical tools becomes essential, as they manage the large data sets,
making data processing more convenient.
Following these steps will help statistical researchers to showcase the
statistics in research in detail, and develop accurate hypothesis and use
correct tools for it.
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Conclusion
There are a range of statistical tools in research which can help researchers
manage their research data and improve the outcome of their research by better
interpretation of data. One could use statistics in research by understanding the
research question, knowledge of statistics and your personal experience in
coding.
To carry out the types of research investigation, the researchers must gather data
with which to test the hypotheses or answer the questions. Many different
methods and procedures have been developed to aid in the acquisition of data.
These employ distinctive ways of describing arid quantifying the data. Each is
particularly appropriate for certain sources of data, yielding information of the
kind and in the form that can be most effectively used.
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References
• Creswell, J. W. (2002). Research design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. London:
Sage Publication
• Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Keithmorrison (2005). Research Methods in Education. London: Taylor & Francis
group publishers.
• Creswell, J.W. (2012). Educational research planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative
research. America: Pearson.
• Darlington, Y. & Scott, D. (2002). Qualitative Research in Practice: Stories from the Field. Philadelphia:
Open University
• Day, C., Elliot, J., Somekh, B. & Winter, R. (Eds.), (2002). Theory and Practice in Action research. Oxford:
Symposium Books.
• Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y. S. (2005). The Handbook of Qualitative Research. (Third edition). Sage.
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